Apparatus for propelling trucks



' A. M..HowARD ETAL 2,267,662

APPARATUS FoR RRPELLING TRUCKS 4 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed oct; 16,'1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 16. 1950 Uct. 2311956 A. M. HOWARD ETAL 2,767,662

APPARATUS FOR RRORELLING TRUCKS Filed' Oct.' 16, 1950 4 shets-sheet 5 5 42 2s 34 as /2 3o 40 -BRR//v/ RQ /1/ Y' f I L fil- A Homey Oct. 23, 1956 f A. M. HOWARD ET AL 2,767,662

APPARATUS 'FOR PROPELLING TRUCKS Filed om. 1e, 195o K 4 sheet-sheet 4 A Attorny in the remaining figures.

United States Patent 767,562 APARATUSFoa PRoPELLING TRUCKS llan Maurice Howard and Walter vGeorge Harper,

Tividale, Tipton, England, assignorsto Noi-tons (Tividale) Limited, Tividale, rIipton, England Application October 16, 1950, Serial No. 190,394

7 Claims. (Cl. 10m-'183) This invention relates to apparatus including a travelling body propelled by rope traction and containing mechanism which it is 'desirable to `cont-rol from a distance. It relates particularly but not exclusively to apparatus for hauling railroad trucks -in collieries, steelworks, and quarries.

It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus including a rope-hauled travelling body and mechanism in the body operated by means acting on the rope at a fixed remote point.

It is a further object to provide apparatus for hauling trucks comprising a bogie running on a track between the wheels of the trucks and equipped with movable means for engaging the under side of a truck.

It is a further object to provide apparatus for hauling trucks comprising a bogie having a rope -connected to leach end and control apparatus to vary the tensions in the ropes and so both move the bogie and engage Aand diseugage it from trucks.

The accompanying drawings show the preferred embodiment of the invention in an apparatus for hauling railroad trucks successively in one direction. -In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan of a hauling bogie with part broken away;

Figures'Z and 3 are sections 4on the lines II-#II and lIIIII in Figure l;

Figures 4 to 6 are diagrams of some of the parts -in Figure 2 in different positions; and

Figure 7 is a diagram of the rope drives for the bogie.

The apparatus shown is designed particularly'for m0v ing freight trucks along a main railroad track 10 of standard gauge,fshown in Figure 3, from right toleft, as seen A narrow gauge track 8 is secured to the sleepers of the main track between the rails of the main track, and a bogie 1 runs on this track I8, being connected to two lengths of rope 22 and26 by which it can be lpulled in one -direction lor the other. Two identical pairs of arms 34 and'35 are mounted on vpivots 36 in the bogie -and Veach pair carries a double-j'awed hook 218. When ua 4truck is to be moved the arms-34 are rocked to raise the hooks to the llevel of the leading axle of the truck. This is done by means of two links "38 respectively 'connected to the two arms, each 'being pivoted at 40 to the arm with which it is associated and at 39 to a cross-head 14 which can slide longitudinally in the bogie, the links being rocked and in turn rocking the arms when the cross-head moves. Whereas the rope 22, which is the main hauling rope, is connected to the bogie through a spring buffer 24 so that in effect the connection is direct, the rope 26, which is the trailing rope, is connected to the cross-head 14 and therefore only indirectly connected to the frame of the bogie. The cross-head is, it will be seen, a part of the mechanism for lifting the hooks and to operate this mechanism the tension in the rope 26 must be increased. This is done by rocking a pivoted frame 65 about its pivot 67 by means of an electric thrustor 68 at a remote control point, the

shown in Figure 5.

2,767,662 -Patentedk Oct. 23, 1956 ICC frame carrying a pulley 66 around which'the rope 26 passes.

Turning now to `the details of construction, the frame of-the bogie is rectangular, being made of longitudinal members 2 and 4 and end members 3 and y5 and .it runs on flanged wheels 6 on the track 8. The rod 21 of the spring buffer 24 to which the rope 22'is coupledfpasses through the end memberfS -and the rope v26 passes through a flared opening in the -end member 3. Two channel members 12fand 13 run theflength'of the bogie withtheir flanges extending towards one vanother vertically and form a cage-like guide for the cross-head `14. VTowards the ends of the bogie these vchannel members are joined together by plates 16 and within the lower channel member 13 there are two stops 18 and 20 which limit Ymovement lof the cross-'head 14. Each hook 28 is pivotal-ly mounted on the respective arms 34 and 35 by a pin 32.

@Each hook 28 has two jaws formed by rollers -42 and .44

and is normally rocked by afspring 45 into a position in which the roller 42 is considerably higher than the roller 44, being held -in this position by a stop 46 extending between the arms v34 and 35.

`ln Figure 2 parts of a truck running :on the track 10 are indicated in chain lines. The position o'f the mechanism vwhen the bogie is not -engaged with lthe truck -is shown in Figure 6. ln this position the hooks are lowered sufficiently `to clear abrake-rod 48, which is the lowest transverse member ofthe truck. When the truck is to be engaged, enough tension is applied to the trailing rope 26 to cause the cross-head 14 to slide from one end of-its ltravel to the other so that the y.hooks take up the position shown in Figure 4. In this position the rollers 44 can pass beneath `an axle 30, but the rollers -42 are sufii- -ciently high to engage the axle. The bogie is then pulled until the hooks engage an axle. Thereafter the bogie is pulled further to the'right, and keach hook 28 rocks against its spring 45 until the mechanism takes up the position Inso rock-ing, the yhook 28 displaces a catch lmember 50 which lcan rockabout a pinfSZ carried by the arms34and 35. As the hook rocks, this catch is tipped upwards and then falls back onto ais-top 55 and serves to support the hook 28 ina pesi-tion in which both rollers 42 land y44 are at the level lof theaxle 30. When the mechanism -is in this position, forces in either direction can bev applied-by the bogie to the axle. Since thehooks 28 are close to the trucky wheels only a small bending moment -is applied to the vaxle 30. To `disengage the bogie from the axle the tension in the rope 26 is reduced and the weight ofthe raised parts then causes the cross-head 14 to 'returnto its left-hand extreme position so that lthe arms 34 and `35 are lowered, as seen in Figure 6. As this movement occurs the'catch members 50 engagelixed abutments 56 which lcause them to tilt so far that they release the hooks 28 and allow them to rock back onto `the stops 46. The mechanism Vthus resumes its initial position in which it can pass freely -under the truck.

It will beapparent that Lthe position of the mechanism within the bogie depends on the tension in the trailing rope 26 while the force which the bogie can apply to the truck depends on the difference between the tensions in the ropes 22 and 26. These tensions are controlled by the traction mechanism shown in Figure 7. The hauling and trailing ropes 22 and 26 are wound separately on a grooved drum 57 which can be driven by either of two motors 58 and 60 through epicyclic gearing 62. The trailing rope 26 passes around a pulley 64 which is springloaded to take up irregularities of winding, as well as round the pulley 66.

In one complete cycle of operations, the bogie is moved to the right towards a truck to be hauled by applying a brake 70 to the shaft of the motor 58 and driving the 3 drum 57 from the motor 60 to wind in the trailing rope 26 and pay out the `hauling rope 22. As the bogie approaches the truck the thrustor 68 is operated to apply sufficient tension to the trailing rope 26 to raise the hooks 28 `to the `position shown in Figure 4. The bogie then continues `to move until the hooks have engaged the leading axle of the truck and been rocked into the posi tion shown in Figure 5. A fluid transmission 72 is incorporated in the drive from the motor 60 so that insuicient power can be applied to the drum 57 to move the truck to the right once the hooks are fully raised. As soon las the fluid transmission begins to slip, the bogie is ready `for hauling. The `motor `60is then switched off and a brake 74 applied to its shaft while the brake 70 is released and power applied to the motor 5,8.` This motor, which is considerably larger than the motor 60, winds in the hauling rope 22 and pulls the` truck and any others coupled to it to the left asifar as isr required. The tractive force is imparted to the truck'through the rollers` 44 on the hooks 28. If at any point there is an incline where a truck tends to accelerate it is restrained by a braking force applied by the trailing rope 26 `through the rollers 42. When the trucks have reached the required position the thrustor 68 is released. Thereupon, the mechanism in the bogie returns to the position shown in Figure 6 and the motor 60 can then be used to withdraw the bogie from under the truck and return it to the right for further use. The rotation of the drum 57 serves to operate limit switches 76 which prevent the bogie over-running at either end of its travel.` p

It will be `seen from the description of this example that the invention provides a simple method of remotely controlling `mechanism in a travelling body and also simple mechanism for engaging a truck and applying forces to it in both directions of motion. While this mechanism has been described in theexample in connection with railroad trucks and a bogie running on rails, it may also, for example, be applied to the haulage of trailers for road vehicles which are guided by any suitable track.` In such an application a skid running in a channel may be preferable to a bogie on rails.

It should be understood that the ropes extending from the ends of a travelling lbody may actually be separate ropes` or may be parts of a single rope or of an endless rope.

We claim:

l. Apparatus for hauling trucks comprising, a traveling body, a movable member mounted within said body, two ropes extending one from each end of said body, one of said ropes being connected to said member, the other of said ropes being connected to said body, a drum at a fixed location around which both ropes are wound, pulleys leading said ropes to said drum, means for positively displacing one of said pulleys to vary the tension in` said first named rope without substantially affecting the tension in the rope connected to the body whereby the movable member is actuated, and means operably connected to said movable member and actuated by said movable member for engaging said truck.

2.1 Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 for hauling trucks in succession in one direction wherein said drum is driven alternatively through a positivedrive by a relatively strong electric motor and through a uid coupling by a relatively weak electric motor.

3. Apparatus for hauling trucks comprising a first track for trucks, a travelling body, a second track for said body parallel to said first track and lying within the first track, first and second ropes extending from opposite ends of said body, an arm pivoted about a transverse axis in said body and carrying a double-jawed hook for engaging both sides of a truck axle when the arm is raised, and said body when said arm is lowered can pass clear beneath a truck on said first track, means limiting the travel of said arm, said arm being connectedto said first rope and independent of said second rope, said second rope being connected to said body, driving means for said ropes, and tension varying means associated with said driving means independently causing variations of tension in said first rope to move said arm into and out of engagement with trucks.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said hook is pivoted to said arm, means biasing said hook into a position with one jaw higher than the other,` said hook being adapted upon engagement with the underside of a truck to rock into a second position in which both jaws are level, and means for releasably retaining said hook in said second position.

5. Apparatus for hauling trucks comprising a first track for trucks, a travelling body, a second track for said body within said first track, means for propelling said body along said second track, a movable member in said body and a double-jawed hook carried by said member, means for moving said member to raise said hook into and lower it out of the path of axles of truck on said first track, means pivotally connecting said hook t0 said member, means for biassing said hook into a position in which its mouth is upwardly directed but one jaw is higher than the other, and being adapted to engage a truck axle by said higher jaw and become thereby rocked into a second position in which both jaws embrace the axle, and means for releasably retaining said hook in said second position.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which said connecting means comprises a link and means pivoting said link to said member and said hook whereby the force required to maintain said hook in raised position is less than ,the force required to raise said hook from lowered position.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 including means mounted on said body for releasing said retaining means by lowering of said hook.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

